Not often does am English Duke get to form his own intelligence agency that isn’t a subsidiary of the MI6 but that’s what the Ralph Fiennes character, Orlando, does in The King’s Man. In the prequel movie, the British aristocrat gathers trusted confidants in order to stop the dangerous group known as The Shepherd’s Flock.
The third installment in the franchise brilliantly blends real-life historical characters with fictional ones to create an action-packed offering. But while each of the characters is extremely formidable, there are those that pull on the heartstrings and those that make audiences pray for their downfall.
Rasputin
The trusted adviser to Russia’s Tsar Nicholas is a hedonistic master manipulator. His status as a monk doesn’t stop him from being sadistic and bloodthirsty too.
Any character that harms a child ruins his chances of ever being a fan favorite and Rasputin does this by manipulating the Tsar into poisoning his own son. Villains that are hard to get rid of also tend to trigger plenty of frustration among those cheering the heroes and Rasputin is one such baddie. Having built a tolerance to poison, he survives an assassination attempt. Luckily, Polly eventually takes him out.
Captain Morton (The Shepherd)
Morton hates the aristocracy so he forms an organization of skilled spies known as The Shepherd’s Flock in order to start the Great War and bring down the monarchies. Using agents that are spread across the world, he is able to control various governments.
Morton deserves credit for garnering so much power so quickly. Nonetheless, he is quite the contemptible antagonist. Despite knowing the risks of the work his agents do, Morton is ever willing to put them in danger as he remains in the shadows. He doesn’t play fair either and isn’t above sacrificing children in order to get the job done. Even when he tricks Orlando into a fight, he still tries to cheat by using an advanced spy weapon.
Herbert Kitchener
The Secretary of State for War is close to Orlando but they disagree on matters of strategy. An elderly man, Kitchener has a habit of letting younger men do most of his work for him.
Kitchener is lazy, something Orlando points out quite early. He never realizes it when he is being tricked either and as such, The Shepherd’s Flock is able to infiltrate the British military without the Secretary’s knowledge. He eventually pays for his lack of awareness when his ship gets torpedoed by a submarine.
The Ruling Cousins
Three cousins, Kaiser Wilhelm, King George, and Tsar Nicholas rule over three of the most powerful nations at the height of the Great War. The trio constantly makes poor decisions putting their nations at risk.
The Ruling Cousins are symbols of bad leadership. They live in a bubble, not aware of the problems their people are facing or the challenges their own armies are encountering on the battlefield. The cousins are very susceptible to manipulation too and they are the main reason The Shepherd’s Flock becomes so powerful.
Mata Hari
The agent is assigned the task of seducing US president Woodrow Wilson so that The Shepherd can blackmail him into staying away from the Great War. She is later captured by Orlando.
While Mata doesn’t come off as despicable by herself, she is a puppet who doesn’t get to make her own decisions. Most of The Shepherd’s plans are evil and the fact that Mata executes them blindly makes audiences start a countdown to when her downfall will happen. Nonetheless, she is extremely good at what she does.
The Lift Operator
The Shepherd’s henchman, simply known as Lift Operator, controls all access points to the villain’s mountain base. Thanks to his huge stature and strength, he is immune to pain.
Great villains need great henchmen and the Lift Operator proves to be the stereotypical but formidable enforcer. He doesn’t talk much. All he does is protect his boss, something he does so well until the capable Shola shows up, leading to one of the best fights in The King’s Man. Despite working for the enemy, the Lift Operator isn’t easy to hate because he doesn’t share the same sadism as his boss.
Conrad Oxford
Orlando’s son Conrad vows to join the army and fight for his country after his mother dies. His father then recruits him on a mission to help keep Russia in the war.
Conrad is undoubtedly one of the bravest characters in The King’s Man, often willing to put himself in harm’s way in order to accomplish specific missions. In movies about spy work, this is always such a great quality to have, Regrettably, Conrad tends to shut out all advice and rely on his own judgment, painting himself as stubborn and unreasonable in the process. The behavior eventually costs him as he is killed during a mission in No-Man’s Land.
Shola
Initially one of the Duke’s servants at his residence, Shola is recruited as one of the first members of the KIngsman Intelligence Agency. He then accompanies Polly and Oxford on a mission to Russia.
No one is as selfless as Shola in the movie. When he takes a bullet for Orlando, he is more than glad that it happened, stating that it was for the great good. It’s a joy to watch Shola fight as he is quite skilled, even getting the better of his boss’s skilled son. His fight scenes with the Lift Operator and the Russians leave plenty to admire too.
Orlando
The Duke of Oxford is the founder of the Kingsman intelligence agency. Through the organization, he is able to conduct multiple high-profile missions around the world.
Any character that seeks to avenge the death of a loved one, especially a spouse, is guaranteed to endear themselves in the eyes of fans. Orlando does this after his wife gets killed during the Boer attacks. Additionally, spy work requires stealth and Orlando is canny enough to buy the Kingsman Tailor Shop, using it as a front for his organization. He also proves to be quite good at detecting threats by sampling relying on his own personal assessment.
Pollyanna “Polly” Wilkins
Initially, a housekeeper employed at the Duke’s residence, Polly ends up becoming a founding member of the Kingsman Intelligence Agency. She then helps Orlando in his missions.
Polly is more level-headed than her colleagues. She has a high level of awareness and great knowledge of world events too, making her one of The King’s Man‘s most intelligent characters. That’s why Orlando trusts her enough to make her one of his first recruits. She deserves credit for helping to end the war too since it’s her that cracks the Zimmermann Telegram, giving the US a reason to get involved and turn the tide. It’s Polly that gets to end Rasputin’s reign of terror too, which makes her a true hero.
